Week 1: Introductions of The Art Kind

 Hello everyone! 

    My name is Cassidy Dolan and I am from Fairbanks, Alaska. I am currently studying in the field of Evolutionary and Ecological sciences while also working towards an art minor. I am at the end of my senior year and will need at least one more semester to complete my degree and graduate. I am an avid lover of all things horror, with my favorites being the Slasher genre of movies. My favorite Slasher is Jason Voorhees while my favorite movie is John Carpenter's The Thing. This was when I found my first love of art, special effects makeup. 

    I wanted to be like Tom Savini, so I bought my own supplies and did amateur gore and horror makeup. Since this type of medium for me has passed I have come to appreciate the digital format of art more, loving every moment that can be captured into a photograph. This especially comes through when I go on vacations to Disney World with my family, where I enjoy the theme parks and cruise lines the most. My favorite parks are Animal Kingdom for the theming and animal encounters, EPCOT for shopping around the world, and The Magic Kingdom for the rides. 


Credit: Cassidy Dolan, Taken in EPCOT during the Flower and Garden Festival of 2018 on iPhone 6

    

    My relationship with art began when I was in middle school, and then going into high school. I had just gotten my first phone, an iPhone 6, and was enamored with how amazing the photos turned out. I have been slowly taking classes and learning to better my photography with my phone, as the camera is always with us. I have attempted to draw with pencil and paper, pens, and even digital artwork, but none have ever stuck. I could not find a style that worked for me well and could never get the images I wanted in my head transferred to paper like the people I see in museums or on the internet do. 

    I've been to art museums, stores dedicated to selling art, art auctions on celebrity cruise ships, and just recently I bought a piece of art in Disney World and the artist was there, I was able to have him sign it too. I even won a Winnie the Pooh sketch done by Disney's own Don "Ducky" Williams on my most recent Disney Cruise, which he signed. 

    This brings me to an artist I recently discovered, Matt Grinke (https://www.mattgrinke.ca/), a pianist and composer who works at Disney on their Cruise ships performing in their lounges. He really caught my attention with his editions of classic Disney tunes, villain and hero songs alike, with his own twists. 

If you find any time to, check out his music! He just recently was able to kickstart his first ever album and it was worth the wait. 




Comments

  1. Cassidy DolanJanuary 15, 2025 at 9:27 PM

    Test

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Ukulele FoolJanuary 17, 2025 at 10:16 AM

    Yeah! You already have an art collection. That's awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  3. SpecialMoth9897January 17, 2025 at 12:24 PM

    testing

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Ukulele FoolJanuary 20, 2025 at 7:54 AM

    Testing comments

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rei SuzuJanuary 21, 2025 at 12:12 AM

    It's nice to meet you, Cassidy! I also love horror, and actually would like to draw more of it, though I really struggle with it being so different from my usual style. Watching SFX breakdowns always gets me giddy, and practical effects like the makeup you're talking about are endlessly impressive to me! I think your range of interests is great, the immediate contrast between your declaration of love for horror and that of theme parks very fun and funny-- any chance you enjoy Haunted House-type attractions?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cassidy DolanJanuary 23, 2025 at 5:10 PM

      I do enjoy haunted house attractions! I actually am hoping to do Hollywood Horror Nights one day at Universal to really test myself haha!

      Delete
  6. AnonymousJanuary 21, 2025 at 6:12 PM

    I love how your passions for both horror and art intertwine. Special effects makeup is really cool and a great art form to admire. Also, Tom Savini is an incredible inspiration! While you’ve moved on from that medium, it’s amazing to hear how photography and digital art have become new passions for your creativity.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Grace L.January 23, 2025 at 4:51 PM

    Hello! I love how you mention some ways that art shows up off of the traditional canvas or paper. Special effects makeup is super impressive and a really unique talent. Photography is also a great form of art. I also love photography! Disney definitely takes design into consideration at its theme parks and I think your photo captures it beautifully! I'm seriously impressed by the timing with the train and everything lining up just right.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Richard s DavidgeJanuary 24, 2025 at 3:43 PM

    That was a pretty interesting story on how you have found a connection to the arts from a young age. I also enjoy your appreciation for more digital forms of art as they often seem like a medium that doesn’t feel talked about enough when looking at the modern history of art. Personally, while I have enjoyed the style with which Disney has portrayed many of its classical characters, I believe my favorite period was when they were releasing movies in the art style of Treasure Planet, Elderado, and Atlantis. Hope you find some new ways to look at older pieces of art in this class or maybe even explore the architecture of the times as it might pull your interest more as it leads to wonderful photography nowadays.

    ReplyDelete

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